


The Vault

by NympheSama



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Anal Sex, Dehydration, Gay Sex, Insanity, M/M, Necrophilia, Sex, non-con elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:15:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24588184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NympheSama/pseuds/NympheSama
Summary: Rhys is determined to find the Hero of Pandora and return him to his rightful throne on Helios...
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 25





	The Vault

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lost_Elf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lost_Elf/gifts), [Lemscape](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lemscape/gifts).



> I... i, uh
> 
> I dont usually write stuff like this  
> This is so much darker than i was prepared for and i'm still kinda in shock, i think?  
> I wrote this... i do not condone it  
> This was born of a prompt by Jackbutt, Xäntusia and LemLem - its THEIR fault my innocence was ruined 😭
> 
> Please dont hate me 💔
> 
> x My love to you all x

**The Vault**

Rhys wasn’t even sure where the hell he should start looking. There was an entire freaking  _ planet _ he could search and he might never find what he was after. All because Jack was a fucking asshole and wouldn’t let him come to Pandora.

Well, Rhys mused as he stumbled through yet more deserted rocks and wasteland, he’d sure shown Jack. He’d come down shortly after the announcement, using the private fast travel station in the penthouse on Helios. He wasn’t about to follow the orders of a…

Rhys shook his head, pushing the thoughts away. They were wrong, they were all  _ wrong _ godammit!

With a small cough to clear his dry throat, Rhys continued on, stumbling regularly and complaining to nobody but himself that he was ruining his favourite pair of boots; and all for nothing, he was positive.

It was another hour, before he found what he’d been looking for. Rhys looked around the dull, lifeless land of the Eridium Blight, the soul sucking land which he’d been scouring for… hours? Days? He wasn’t sure anymore.

But it was all worth it; because he’d finally found what the psychotic Vault Hunters had claimed they destroyed. The entrance to the Vault of the Warrior; Hero’s Pass.

Rhys swallowed thickly, his dry tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth, as he began to wriggle and shimmy his way through the debris of a landslide, which he had no doubt had been deliberately brought about by the Vault Hunters. His echo eye was a godsend for plotting himself a route, while his cybernetic arm proved useful for shifting just enough of the rocks to squeeze through a small gap, before letting them crash back into place behind him.

Overall, he was more than exhausted by the end of all the exertion; and more than ready to collapse and give up… except he was so close now.

Rather than give in to the fatigue which wanted to claim him, Rhys trudged along the only path, stumbling even more than he had in the open desert, but caring little about anything but his ultimate destination; and what awaited him there.

If the wasteland that was Pandora hadn’t sapped away at most of his strength, he might have broken into a run. Hope fluttered weakly in his gut, determined he was almost there, that he would finally be able to prove those sick bastards and their twisted lies  _ wrong _ .

Rhys was gasping for breath, barely shuffling around a boulder… when he saw it.

Lying on the dirty ground, like common  _ trash. _ Rhys’ nonexistent breath caught in his throat, his dry, tired eyes stinging as they tried and failed to produce tears. His lip quivered as he bent down slowly, picking up the object with a sound of distress in the back of his throat, his fingers trembling as they touched a metal clasp which was burning hot after having been abandoned beneath the Pandora sun.

“J-Jack…” Rhys rasped, narrowing his eyes as he looked up from the man’s mask and examined the barren scenery scrupulously. “Jack!” He tried to call, coughing when his too dry throat barely forced the word free.

If nothing else, he knew he was in the right place. Jack had to be here, if his mask was here. He wouldn’t have left without it. “J-Jack…” Rhys rasped as he stumbled toward a clearing ahead, where strangely carved rocks jut from the planets surface in unnatural formations.

He couldn’t be certain, but he thought it felt cooler. Judging from the open pools of lava which he had to be careful as he stumbled past however, he assumed he was probably just imagining things.

“Jack!” He called, his voice cracking as his throat flared with a sharp stabbing pain. Dehydration, he distantly assumed, though his thoughts were somewhat hard to focus past the desperate search for the missing man from behind the mask in his hand. “Jack! It’s just… just me!” He rasped, blinking as he looked around blearily. “You can… you can come out, now! Those filthy… filthy, murdering bandit’s are… gone!”

Rhys wiped the back of his hand over his brow, his vision blurring as he tried to search for movement in the wasteland around him. “Jack, c’mon… where are you, Jack?” He muttered, shaking his head as a strange warbling pierced his ears. “ _ Jack _ !” He cried desperately, leaning against a decrepit pillar and closing his eyes as he buried his fists in his hair, close to screaming with frustration as his heart thundered erratically in his chest.

“… shit-” Rhys’ head snapped up at the quiet curse, his eyes wide as he looked around frantically.

“Jack…” he whispered, licking his chapped lips with his too dry tongue. “Jack?!” He called urgently, stumbling and almost falling as he pushed away from the pillar, turning all around and hitting his head on a broken archway. “ _ Ugh _ !” He hissed, grimacing as he pressed the heel of his palm to his forehead as he looked around despite the pain blossoming in his skull. “Jack! Where are you?”

Rhys stumbled unsteadily through the debris of the Vault of the Warrior, his eyes searching for the man he just  _ knew _ had to be here somewhere. “Jack! C’mon… I’ve come to take you home!” He called, wincing as he pulled his hand away from his forehead and checked it for blood, though his skin appeared to be blessedly free of any red substances. “Jack! Stop being a dick and answer m-”

“R-Rhys… ugh,  _ hrck _ !” Rhys almost sobbed with relief, turning in the direction the pale shadow of Jack's usual booming voice and covering his hand with his mouth when he saw his hero laying on the ground, his clothes stained red and riddled with holes.

“Oh, god…” he choked, his throat thick and dry as he rushed forward, scraping his knees on the hard, dusty ground through his trousers, when he stumbled and fell to his knees beside him. “ _ Jack _ !” He cried, his hands hovering uncertainly over Jack’s battered body as he ran his eyes over him worriedly, uncertain where or even if he could touch the man without hurting him. “Jack… are you-?”

“ _ Ugh _ , shut  _ up _ ..!” Jack groaned, his scarred face twisting into a faint grimace as he rolled his head faintly, his open eyes peering up at Rhys dazedly; one a dull, lifeless green and the other a milky white, the blue iris long since faded away, due to the scar which had been branded across his handsome face.

“Jack,” Rhys hiccuped, half sobbing with relief as he finally smiled at the Hyperion leader, shaking his head slowly. “God, I knew you were okay. I knew they couldn’t have… couldn’t have-” his too dry throat tightened, choking on the words which he still couldn’t bear to think, let alone voice.

“Rhys… godammit,” Jack rasped tiredly, as Rhys took his hand in both of his own; deeming it to be somewhere he could touch that he wouldn’t hurt the CEO. “What the…  _ hell _ are you… doing here?” He demanded weakly, as Rhys pressed Jack's hand to his cheek, gritting his teeth as his eyes stung with tears which could not even form in the decrepit vault.

Rhys’ heart ached to hear and see the Hero of Pandora so small and broken, so… human. He sniffed and swiped his thumb across Jack’s scarred cheek. “You think I wouldn’t come rescue my hero?” He scoffed lightly.

“I…  _ told _ you-”

“And I  _ ignored _ you.” Rhys countered Jack’s argument before it could begin, lifting his head to squint around their surroundings. “Now, where’s that goddamn travel station? I know you put one down here...”

“Rhys-”

“Shut up, Jack.” Rhys scoffed, ignoring the CEO’s weak grip on his jacket sleeve as he tried to look around for the travel station; the one way portal back to Helios, where he could care for Jack and help him recover, to regain his strength so he could wipe those filthy bandits off the face of Pandora, once and for all.

“Rhys-”

“I said,  _ shut up _ , Jack!” Rhys hissed, turning back to Jack and scowling at him. “Just for once in your stupid, pigheaded…” he choked, barely holding in a sob as his eyes stung, wanting to cry but his body too dehydrated to produce tears. “You… you stupid…” he hiccuped, sniffling as he caressed Jack’s withered cheek gently. “I  _ told _ you not to do this…” he whispered gruffly, his throat aching fiercely as he tried to swallow past the thick lump in his throat.

“Rhysie…” Jack sighed, leaning his face heavily into Rhys’ palm. “C’mere, Pumpkin…” he muttered tiredly, closing his eyes as he tipped his chin at Rhys weakly.

Rhys sniffed, wiping a stray smear of dirt from Jack’s scarred cheek as he offered the man a small, adoring smile. He leaned closer slowly, careful not to hurt the Hyperion CEO as he touched their lips together softly. “I would never leave you here alone…” Rhys whispered, gazing into Jack’s unfocused eyes for a long pause, before kissing him again sweetly.

Usually Jack was as voracious with kissing as he was with everything; demanding, unforgiving and determined to win. Rhys wasn’t surprised that he was gentler with his kisses now, that he sought comfort over dominance when he was in such a weakened state. When there was nobody to see him show compassion and gentility. Regardless, the CEO’s kiss was as intoxicating to Rhys as ever; relief exuding from him as his panic and fears for Jack’s safety finally subsided.

“Rhys,” Jack whispered, barely a breath against Rhys’ lips as his fingers laid on his sleeve weakly. 

Rhys snickered softly. “Really?” He snorted, shaking his head as he peered down at Jack warmly, his fingers tracing over the CEO’s torn cheek carefully. “You’re shot to hell, you’ve been bleeding… how long now? We’re in the damn buttfuck of nowhere on this reject ass planet…” he said, smiling at Jack in bemusement. “And  _ you’re  _ thinking about your dick?” 

Jack’s lips twitched, the barest hint of a shrug in his shoulders. “You... complainin’ Rhysie?” He rasped, his milky eye staring vacantly over Rhys’ shoulder, while his dulled green iris drifted without focus over Rhys’ face. “Ain’t you… missed me?” 

Rhys blinked slowly, smiling distantly as he trailed his finger over Jack’s nose. “You know I have.” He murmured, rolling his hips to reveal the burgeoning arousal within his trousers. “I always do…”

Jack chuckled dryly, the sound similar to the splintering of the dead weeds, scattered across the wasteland of Pandora’s surface. “C’mon, Rhysie…” he taunted. “One... for the road?”

Rhys snorted, shaking his head at Jack’s stubbornness. “You’re such a demanding asshole.” He huffed, pausing to smooth his thumb slowly over Jack’s lower lip, sighing in resignation as he smiled. “How can I say no to you when you’re so determined, even in this state?” He whispered, dropping his hand to cup Jack’s cheeks with both his palms and drawing him into another slow, deep kiss.

His tongue slid cautiously into Jack’s mouth, exploring tentatively; wary of hurting the CEO further even in something so gentle. He flicked his tongue over Jack’s upper teeth, ignoring the stale taste of his mouth; for he’d been on Pandora long enough that ‘morning breath’ had taken on an entirely new meaning. He swept his thumbs over Jack’s cheeks, before his hands slowly began to drift down his throat, sliding down to his belt and uncinching it carefully. “Jack…” he breathed, kissing Jack’s cheek gently. “Are you sure-?” He asked, though his hands never slowed as they carefully removed Jack’s trousers and underwear.

“Shut…  _ up _ , Rhys...” Jack hissed quietly, his fingers twitching against the hard, unforgiving ground beneath him. “Just; don’t think... don’t doubt. Just… freakin’...  _ do  _ it.”

Rhys smiled at Jack’s familiar demanding nature, fondly recalling the numerous other times which they’d been intimate; the CEO’s dominance taking Rhys’ breath away, even on the rare occasions where he chose to give himself to Rhys, rather than take from him.

Rhys’ brow furrowed slightly as his hands slid between Jack’s bare thighs, struggling for a moment to part them. “You sure you want this, Handsome?” He huffed, raising a brow at Jack and chuckling when the man finally lessened his stiff rigidity, allowing Rhys to prop his legs apart.

He panted lightly as he removed his own lower garments, stroking his cock and smearing precum from the head along the shaft, sighing as Jack’s unfocused gaze idled on the sky above them. He knew without the mask it was hard for his hero to see, but to replace it now would lock dirt into the deep scars; and he didn’t want to irritate the CEO’s sensitive skin. He’d have it sanitised as soon as they returned to Helios; ready for Jack’s heroic return after his recovery.

“Jack,” he murmured, leaning forward as he sucked two fingers into his dry mouth, wincing as he licked them as best he could. “We don’t exactly have a lot of-”

“Shut up... Rhys.” Jack groaned, when Rhys’ semi-moistened fingers dropped to his ass. “ _Just…_ _do it_.” He breathed, like the whisper of a breeze on the barren landscape around them. 

“Jack,” Rhys murmured, coughing briefly as his throat scratched uncomfortably. He dropped his eyes to his fingers, urging them into Jack despite the faint resistance his entrance presented. He bit his lip as his fingers pressed inside, shivering as Jack’s flesh molded itself around him. “ _ God… _ ”

“Jack’s… fine, Pumpkin…” Jack muttered, as Rhys strained to stretch and prepare him with increasing urgency. “Rhys, just… get on with it.” He groaned, as Rhys swallowed thickly.

He bit his lip uncertainly. “I don’t wanna hurt you, Jack…” he murmured, rolling his eyes at Jack’s distant sigh of frustration. “And you say  _ I’m  _ impatient.” He huffed, withdrawing his fingers and spitting a meagre dribble of saliva into his palm. “You’re such a masochist…” he muttered, stroking his aching dick as he shuffled closer and braced himself over Jack.

“Tell me if it’s too much…” he whispered, trailing off with a soft moan as he slowly pressed his cock into Jack. " _ Oh _ …" he groaned, teasing himself into Jack slowly, mindful of the additional resistance to what he normally felt. But Jack  _ had _ been here awhile now, stubbornly keeping himself alive so Rhys could rescue him only to insist on fucking before they returned to Helios so he could recover properly. " _ Jack-" _ he hissed, his thick throat clutching tight to the moan which tried to escape him, as he carefully rocked himself within Jack.

"Jack," Rhys croaked thickly, moaning quietly as he thrust into Jack slowly, mindful of the wounds which Jack was determined to ignore… and who the hell was Rhys to deny the man, the Hero of Pandora; of the goddamn galaxy. "Oh god, Jack…" he breathed, his lips shuffling over Jack's throat to his jaw, working his way over the CEO's cheek to steal his lips for a deep and passionate kiss.

"R… R…" Jack grunted, his hand rising to Rhys' cheek and holding him close; Rhys moving his own hand to cover Jack's tenderly. "...ssss" Jack hissed, his soft curse a long, seemingly timeless rush of air.

"Jack," Rhys painted, pressing his lips to Jack's throat; the skin seeming contrary as it felt both oddly cool and scorching beneath his kiss; an effect of the cursed Pandoran sun, he was sure. "Jack oh… oh my-" he felt the familiar blaze of heat in his gut, his hands slipping to the backs of Jack's thighs as his legs slipped from around him, holding the CEO as close as he was able as he thrust into him eagerly. "Fuck… you still think I didn't miss you, you bastard?" Rhys murmured breathlessly in Jack's ear, his kisses feverish as his lips drifted over Jack's mangled cheek. "I love you, you asshole… I won't ever let you go." He whispered thickly, his voice breaking with an impassioned cry as his cock throbbed in Jack's ass. 

"You're mine, Jack… nobody can take you from me…  _ nobody _ ." He muttered with near viciousness, his breath catching as the heat in his gut coiled tightly. "I'm yours, you're mine… you  _ promised… _ "

Rhys' euphoric cry as he came within the CEO was cracked and hoarse, a choking gag rather than the usual blissful moans which they shared in the penthouse. "Oh god… Jack..." Rhys moaned tiredly, his eyes unfocused as he pulled back and glanced over Jack, making sure he hadn't hurt the Hyperion leader any further. "Are you..?"

Jack's dull green eye gazed up at the sky, an unusually peaceful expression on his face as Rhys quietly trailed his fingers over the man's scar. "Jack..?" He whispered, his lips twitching into a crooked smile as he eased himself out of Jack and released his thighs; letting them fall to the ground as he scooted to cuddle into the CEO's side. "It's okay… you must be tired. We can rest a little." He rasped quietly, stroking Jack's unmoving face. "I'll keep you safe." 

Rhys nuzzled Jack's shoulder lightly, his lips fluttering over the CEO's throat as his hand lay over his chest, smiling at the phantom beating of the still heart within. "I'll keep you safe…" he whispered again, his unfocused eyes dropping down to Jack's bloodied hand, gently interweaving their fingers together. 

Rhys' smile never faltered as the sun set, and Jack continued to remain still; humming quietly as his gaze roved distractedly over the other man, smoothing his hair behind his ear and kissing his cheek softly. 

Rhys' hand never left Jack's as his eyes turned as dull as the CEO'S, his breath quickening beneath the blazing sun of scorching Pandoran days, followed by the dark and cold Pandoran nights.

Rhys' relief and joy never faded, even as his chest slowly hitched to a halt as permanent as Jack's, his head laid gently on the CEO's shoulder; to remain there for all time, or until the cursed sands of Pandora finally consumed them.


End file.
